September is Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide crosses all boundaries, including age, profession, gender, race and religion. In the military and Veteran communities, suicide claims hundreds of lives each year. It is for this reason that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) are launching “The Power of 1” […]
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is truly the most comprehensive education benefit that Veterans of the United States military have ever received. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will always provide the best deal that Veterans are going to get on education. Several states, including Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, […]
Since 1962, the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter has been a mainstay of the U.S. Military. The dependable helo, favored by the Navy and the Marine Corps, is being retired. The helicopter, with its twin-turbine engine and tandem counter-rotating rotors was easily recognizable. In the mid-1960’s, some pilots began referring to CH-46 as Frogs or Phrogs. […]
A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry claims that having a history of mental illness puts military service members at higher risk of posttraumatic stress disorder after a combat mission. The study was based on data collected during more than 16,000 post-deployment interviews with Canadian service members who served in Afghanistan between […]
Throughout our military careers, we were trained non-stop. The only time that we weren’t being trained is when we were carrying out missions. After a four-year enlistment, most Veterans have service records filled with certificates of completion. I know that my own service record has certificates from courses ranging from radars to radio-telephone communications, to […]
Over the next several years, barring any future U.S. involvement with any additional conflicts or wars, the Department of Defense will be remodeling its structure. Like any other employer forced to downsize when demand decreases, each branch of the military will essentially be laying-off service members. And the process has already begun. These newly-separated Veterans, […]
On September 1, 2014, the flight deck of the USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) was the setting for a small miracle at sea. A CH-53E Super Stallion was attempting to land on the Mesa Verde, when the helicopter crashed into the water. The Marine CH-53 went down in the Gulf of Aden, near Djibouti , as […]
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a memorandum saying that investigators have found no proof that delays in care caused any deaths at a VA hospital in Phoenix. The investigation was ordered in response to an allegation that eventually helped uncover a troubled health care system, where Veterans waited months for appointments while […]
For the better part of the last two years, California state law makers have been pushing to get AB 935 enacted. On August 25, 2014, AB 935 passed in the California State Senate by a vote of 32-0. The bill is just waiting on Governor Jerry Brown to sign it into law. The support of […]
Over the past several years, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command has been developing an Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, designed to have the capability of traveling at speeds over 3,840 miles per hour. The Defense Department has been developing the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon as a non-nuclear missile that could quickly strike targets anywhere in […]
